Making it Right
by Chayo1197
Summary: Kurt's reaction to Finn outing Santana leads to him outing someone else, all Finn wants is to make it right. But how? Warning: Mentions of suicide


This is the reason I'll never finish a novel: I don't have the attention span. I find shiny new ideas and then I stop and write it down and forget about everything else. But I am not abandoning my other stories, promise!

Warnings: Mentions of suicide.

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><p>The car ride home was excruciating enough. By the way Kurt's jaw was locked and his eyes glared at the road, Finn knew that he was in trouble. Kurt inhaled a few short breaths, like he was going to start talking. Each time, Finn would wince, ready for the screaming, but each time, Kurt just closed his mouth and pushed the gas a little harder.<p>

Santana had been suspended after she slapped Finn. Only for a week, but banned from performing at sectionals next week, and Finn knew it was his stupid fault. If he had just kept his mouth shut…

But he couldn't. He could only take so much verbal abuse.

He was shaken from his thoughts when Kurt jerked the car to a stop in their driveway and killed the engine, grabbing his bag and getting out of the car, slamming the door in the process. Finn winced again, and rubbed a hand over his face. This was not going to be good.

Sure enough, as soon as Finn collected his backpack and went inside, the fight started.

Kurt had been pacing in the living room when Finn walked through the door. As soon as Finn closed the front door, Kurt was on his case.

"What the hell was that about Finn?" Kurt said, his voice raised. If he wasn't so mad, his high-pitched yelling would be almost comical. Almost.

Finn rubbed his arm, avoiding Kurt's scalding eyes. "I just-"

"You just what, Finn? You forgot everything you learned last year? You forgot that gay people are real people too? That they have feelings? What did you 'just' do? You 'just' ruined someone's life, Finn!"

Finn looked up, stricken. "I didn't mean-"

"How do you 'not mean' to out someone? How? How do you accidently let slip their deepest secret?"

"But-"

"It doesn't matter! I don't agree with hiding yourself but it is her secret to tell! Do you think I would do that to Karofsky-"

Kurt cut himself off, his eyes widening as he realized what he did. What Finn had done. He had just outed Dave Karofsky to his brother.

Finn looked up, burning eyes now as wide as Kurt's. They were both silent, before Finn tried diffusing the situation. "…Well, now we're even." He said, grinning weakly.

Kurt's shocked expression was replaced by his formerly angry one. "Don't think even for a second that you and I are the same, Finn Hudson. Now I supposed Dave's secret is going to be splattered all over the campaign trail as well, and thanks to you, two people will be miserable and upset."

Alright, now Finn was getting upset. "You think I wanted that? You think I told that guy's niece or whatever on purpose? You think I sold that information or something?"

"That's not the point Finn-"

"It is the point!" Finn yelled , making Kurt jump. "You guys think that I do stupid things on purpose and I don't, okay? It was an accident, and it was the biggest mistake of my life but I didn't do it on purpose! Do you even care about my side? No one but Rory knows why I did it, and he's the only one who seems to care about all of the mean things Santana says about me-"

"Oh give me a break!" Kurt yelled over Finn. "She says mean things about everyone!"

"Doesn't make it hurt any less! How would you like someone you thought was your friend picking on you every day? How would you like it if I started pointing out every flaw you have, even the ones that I know you're really sensitive about? How would you like it if I pointed out those flaws to your face every day and laughed in your face? What would you do?"

Kurt was quiet for a moment, watching his brother. He knew what that pain felt like, but Finn didn't. Not really. Finn had an easy life. He was a jock, an all-American kid who everyone loved. And for someone to stomp into his life and start poking at him like that…

Kurt knew Finn. He was sensitive. He was a people-pleaser. He was a sweetheart and a pushover when it came down to it. Kurt just needed to take a moment, and he saw there that Santana wasn't the only one who was hurt. Finn's eyes were red with unshed tears, and Kurt could see from a few feet away that Finn was trembling. What had Santana said to him that forced him to go so far?

"…It doesn't matter, Finn." Kurt said softly. "Karof-…Dave was my worst enemy. He shoved me and slushied me and bullied me until I had to leave McKinley. And I never outed him to anyone but Blaine until today. Because it isn't right. No matter what anyone does, it doesn't give me, or you, the right to do that to someone before they're ready."

Finn stared at Kurt, looking almost devastated. Was no one really going to take his side? Not even his own brother? He turned to the door, faintly hearing Kurt ask where he was going. He didn't respond and let the door close behind him. Didn't matter where he was going. He was a fuck-up. That's all he was ever going to be. He wasn't good enough for Ohio State, he wasn't good enough for NYADA, for glee club…what was he good for?

Making people miserable. That one was obvious.

He walked down the street, not really paying attention to what direction he was going. Did it really matter? It didn't matter how far he walked, he would never escape his mistakes.

He found himself sitting on a swing at the nearby park. It was nearly dusk, so there were no little kids running around or glaring at him for taking up a swing. He stared down at the tan bark at his feet, nudging a few pieces away with his shoe. He could hear some cars in the distance, a dog barking, and the soft wind whistling.

"Hey."

Finn nearly fell out of the swing when the new voice startled him. He looked up and almost fell over again when he saw Dave Karofsky standing there, hands jammed in his pockets as he studied Finn. "You okay Hudson? Looked like you'd died sitting up."

Finn blinked a few times to try to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. He even rubbed at one of his eyes slightly, before nodding. "Yeah."

"…Mind if I sit?"

Finn gave a half-hearted shrug, and Dave took the seat next to him. The silence between them was strained until Dave cleared his throat. "Nice weather."

Finn looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "…are we really gonna talk about the weather?"

Dave cracked a smile, and Finn's eyes widened slightly. Was this really Dave Karofsky, jerk-extraordinaire? He couldn't remember seeing Dave smile so easily, unless he was smirking at someone getting a slushie in the face.

"I guess. Unless you wanna tell me what's wrong."

Finn looked away. "Doesn't matter."

"Sure it does."

Finn looked at him skeptically. "...you know, I could kick your ass. After everything you did to Kurt and everything. Especially at prom."

Dave's smile disappeared. "I had nothing to do with that, Hudson. I swear I didn't. If I did I would have stopped it."

"You would have protected Kurt?"

"Yeah."

"Because he's guarding your secret?"

Dave looked over at Finn with wide, scared eyes, and Finn knew he had done it again. He was fucking people up with his big stupid mouth. He looked away, expecting Dave to sock him across the face or shove him off of the swing or start yelling at him like Kurt had done. But instead, all Finn got was a small, "Yeah."

They were silent again, Finn kicking lightly at the tan bark. "You know I don't think any different of you. Well, like, you're a good guy now and everything, but being gay…there's nothing wrong with that. Kurt's my brother, and…" Finn smiled a little. "He wouldn't be Kurt if he hid." He looked up at Dave. "Is that why you left McKinley?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah. I was tired of hiding, but I was scared of what would happen. So I had to leave. I don't think I could have handled it like Kurt. He's so strong."

Finn nodded. "Yeah. I don't get how he does it either." He mumbled, remembering he was supposed to be mad at Kurt, and fell silent again. Dave watched Finn with soft eyes. "Did something happen with him?"

"Sort of."

"…wanna talk about it?"

Finn chewed on his bottom lip. "I don't really think I can. It's…not about him really."

"McKinley stuff? You can tell me. I don't go there anymore, I couldn't gossip if I wanted to." Dave said, chuckling softly.

Finn gave it a bit more thought. He guessed Dave was right. There was really no point in worrying anymore. The campaign commercial was going to premiere eventually. "It's about Santana."

"That she's lesbian?"

Finn looked over, jaw dropping slightly. "I…how do you know that?"

Dave smiled a little. "She told me last year. After she figured out that I was in the closet, and she blackmailed me into dating her."

Finn's eyebrows shot up. Well that explained a lot. He wondered if Kurt knew about that. He would have to ask later. Dave saw Finn's expression and laughed softly. "Yeah, I know. She's kind of a huge bitch."

Finn nodded. "Tell me about it."

"What'd she do to you?"

Finn rubbed the back of his neck. All of Santana's words came flying back at home, cutting through his heart again. "She just…she made fun of me. A lot. To my face, about everything that I'm kinda insecure about, you know? She doesn't hide anything, she just lets it fly."

Dave nodded, and Finn sighed. "So I outed her."

"…What?"

Finn was surprised to hear not disgust or anger, but a gentle question, like a friendly hand reaching out to help. "I called her out on loving Brittany, and some dude running for Congressman's niece heard, and now it's going to be all over TV."

Dave was quiet for a moment, then let out a deep sigh, putting his hands on his knees and looking out to the street. "That's tough, man."

"I didn't mean to, Dave, you gotta believe me." Finn pleaded, and Dave looked over, blinking. "I believe you Hudson, don't worry about it."

Finn watched him, looking for any signs of malice from the other teenager. But all he saw was Dave watching him, eyes soft and understanding. There was no judgment there. "Really?"

Dave nodded. "'Course I do. I've been there." He smiled bitterly. "It was with Kurt, actually. I, uh…I threw his phone on the ground and shoved him."

Finn felt his blood boil at the thought, but he had to be patient. Dave was being patient with him. It was only fair.

"Usually he'd just take it quietly, but this time he ran after me. We ended up in the locker room, and the things he was saying…it was killing me. But instead of shoving him or beating him up…I kissed him."

Finn sat there, stunned. Dave watched him, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but Finn wasn't so sure that he was thinking at all anymore. That last sentence may have fried his entire brain.

"…I….whoa….uh….whoa."

Dave chuckled slightly. "Yeah, whoa. So I kinda outed myself. Then I freaked out and told the kid that I would kill him if he ever told and…well you know the rest."

Finn was speechless for a few minutes. He kept looking from the ground to Dave, to the ground again, like he would find the words there. Instead, he echoed Dave. "Th…That's tough man."

Dave laughed and nodded. "Yeah. But its fine now. I accepted who I am. Kurt's forgiven me and I'm just…just trying to live my life now."

The two boys stared at the ground now, swinging slightly. There was another cool breeze, and Finn looked back over to Dave. "But how to I fix this? How do I make things right?"

Dave shrugged. "Dunno, Hudson. It's different for everyone. You're in glee club. Why don't you sing about it? Isn't that what it's about?"

Finn blinked, then nodded. Yeah. That's what glee club was about. Singing, expressing yourself. "I could do that."

Dave smiled. "It'll work out, Hudson. Just…whatever you do, do it all the way and do it good."

Finn smiled at him. "Yeah. Thanks."

They were quiet again, but this time it was a comfortable silence. The swings' chains squeaked, and the sun started to set. Dave got up and stretched a little. "Well, I should head home-"

"Wait."

Dave looked back at Finn, who was watching him intently. "I just…can I ask a question?"

Dave smiled. "Sure, Hudson."

Finn licked his lips, trying to find the right words. "What…what made you come out?"

Dave's smile faded slightly, but instead of looking sad, he looked serious. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and he sighed. "There are these videos people make. It Gets Better videos, to show people, especially young kids, that they aren't alone. That just because it hurts right now and the world sucks right now, it won't always suck. It'll get better, but we all have to stay here to make it better. When I came out to my parents, they accepted me, and I knew from then on that it would get better. That was part of it. The other part was that a few weeks ago, a kid who made one of those videos killed himself. Because of bullying…" Dave's voice cracked, and Finn's heart sank.

"Because of what guys like me did to him. And I couldn't live with myself hearing about that. I wanted to kill myself, because I felt like scum. What if I had made Kurt feel like that? Like there was no way out?"

Kurt. Finn's blood ran cold. Had Kurt ever been like that? Had Kurt ever felt like there was nothing left to do but end it all because of the torture he endured during school at Karofsky's hand? At his and Puck's hands? At all of the taunting and name-calling? At the dumpster dives? At the slushies? Finn suddenly felt sick. What if Santana felt like that now? What if Finn had made her feel like that?

"But I knew that I had to go on. Because I want to make the world a better place for kids like him. Kids like me, and Kurt and Santana. I want people to know that just because there are some stupid people in the world it doesn't mean that there is no place for them. It doesn't mean that the only way out is death. It just means we have to fight harder. For them…"

Finn watched as huge tears started to roll down Dave's face, and the former jock did nothing to try to hide them. He was done hiding.

Slowly, Finn stood up and went over to Dave, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tight. Dave hugged Finn back, his shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. Finn felt his shirt starting to get wet, but he didn't care. He stood there for almost ten minutes as Dave cried. For himself, for Kurt, for the kid who had killed himself, for everyone who felt the same pain.

And Finn stood there and reflected on his actions. He had to make this right.

He was going to make this right.


End file.
